


a Change of Heart

by stanlons



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Artist!Clarke and Lexa, Light Angst, alive people! no death here save that for like greys or something, heavily song inspired in some chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-25 13:19:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9822374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stanlons/pseuds/stanlons
Summary: Lexa Woods wasn't content in her life. She had a great home, amazing friends, and although she didn't have a girlfriend, she didn't need one. Her whole life was based upon the same few things, which were amazing, yet her whole heart was yearning for something new. Her prayer is answered when Clarke Griffin, the shy new girl from California enters her life, and makes her see things in a different point of view.





	1. SEIGFRIED

Lexa lay in her bed as the sun rose. It was 5:59 in the morning, one minute until the official end of summer. A dream fresh in her head, nobody talked in the house. The first day of school was something that nobody wanted, especially Lexa, who was entering her Junior year of high school. Finally, the alarm next to her blared along with the four others in the house. Within two minutes, she was up, grabbing her clothes and racing towards the shared bathroom of the kids. 

She sighed in relief when she realized it was empty, Aden coming upon the door just a second before it was slammed. He ran down the stairs into the other bathroom, closing the door too loudly for Indra's liking. She sleepily scolded him through the door. 

Raven stretched her arms and leg, standing up before remembering that the other wasn't there. She groaned as she reached for the prosthetic next to her bed. It was such a new part of her routine, after the car crash in May, something she always thought about but never seemed to remember. Everyone in school new about it, and Raven was out of school for the last four weeks of the year due to it.  

Eden is laying in her bed, staring at the ceiling with her hands behind her head. Ear buds were tucked into her ears. She had been awake since 4:30, not being able to fall back asleep, or do anything except listen to music and silently cry in her bed. While she was not crying over a girl, a boy, or anyone, she was crying over school: the raincloud looming overhead for the past week. The anxiety of school work, her AP Art class, getting into college next year. Her toes curled for a second, before she slowly but surely got out of bed. 

Aden, however, was the most excited to start school. He was entering 7th grade, which was as exciting as getting a new video game, or waking up on Easter (not Christmas, he's not _that_  excited). He hadn't seen his friends all summer, since one of them were always on vacation. 

As she finished drying her hair, Lexa walked out of the bathroom in that days outfit; a sweater and shorts, like always. Describing her style as bookworm meets art student, she didn't plan on changing too much. She preferred being covered, so the world couldn't she her insecurities she hid under clothes. With her wavy hair splayed across her shoulders, the girl slid down the banister to the stair case. Indra glared at her from the kitchen, scolding her with her eyes. 

A car horn beeped for 30 seconds straight outside, and Lexa knew it was their daily ride to school. Sure enough, she ran out and saw Raven's girlfriend's, Octavia, car stopped in front of the curb. She ran a hand over her butt to check for her phone, and slid into the backseat of the car. Aden jumped onto the hump, followed by Eden who closed the door. Raven finally clanked in, prosthetic and all. 

Harriet was the unofficially official tackiest car in the entirety of Washington DC. It was a convertible, painted that one shade of yellow where it's so ugly it's kind of cute, with bumped stickers plastered across the back. The most notable being _Gayest Ride In Town_  on the back bumper. It started with a hum, and Octavia tore away from the curb, to the middle school. Eden yawned loudly. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Lexa saw Raven start to connect her phone to the aux as discreetly as possible. "Uh uh! It's my day, give me the cord bitch!" she shouted. Raven huffed and handed it back to her. Lexa struggled to pull her phone out of her pocket, but eventually plugged it in and pressed play on a song. Frank Ocean flooded through Harriet's speakers, and into the ears of them all. 

Lexa bopped her head to the familiar song that had been released over the summer. It was one of her favorite's off of _Blonde_ , and she admired Frank for being so open over his sexuality, especially in the community he's in. 

  _"_ t _he markings on your surface,_  
_your speckled face._

f _lawed crystals hang from your ears._  
  


i _couldn't gauge your fears,  
_ i _can't relate to my peers."_

Eden sang along quietly. She was the one who introduced a lot of the music Lexa listened to her. The car rolled up in the cul de sac of the middle school, and Aden climbed over Eden to get out. He waved back to the car of girls as he ran away to his friends, backpack over his shoulders. Raven could remember back to her being that young, and her childhood wasn't as nearly as polished as his. She wasn't carrying a Nike backpack, going to school with a smile on her face, and singing to Frank Ocean in a car with her siblings. She was cleaning up the broken glass in the aftermath of temper tantrums, and sneaking to the science lab after school to delay going home. Aden was lucky that he was saved so young. 

She was lost in her thoughts all the way to school, and Octavia could tell. She reached over and took the hand of her girlfriend, squeezing it tightly as they joined over the console. Raven looked over at her with a smile. Octavia smiled too, eyes kept on the road. "Get a r _oooommm!_ " Eden shouted at them. Octavia laughed at her.

"It's not our fault you either end up with shitty boys or experimental girls," she hummed. Raven nodded and looked back to her. 

"No, it's Washington's fault. I swear, I am the most single person in the whole of the District of Columbia. It's not my fault, either, by the way. Have you seen me? I'm hot. And I'm nice!" Eden defended. Lexa rolled her eyes. 

"Honey, you may be pretty, but you sure ain't nice." Raven said with a laugh. Octavia parked in their usual spot, and Lexa climbed out of the car. She swung her backpack around her shoulders and walked with them into the school,  and to the junior orientation table.  "What ever happened to Wells?"

"Lexa Woods," she said to the consular, who smiled up to her. Sorting through the pile, she finally found Lexa's folder, and gave her it. "Thank you!"

As she waited for the rest of them to get their folders, she sat down on a nearby bench and opened hers. Her eyes scanned through her schedule, thankful that the scheduling office let her drop gym and take an extra music class. Her first period was AP art with Ms. Vie, the new, young and "hip" art teacher the school had hired straight out of college. She was one of the best, they said. 

Raven joined her, huffing when she looked at her locker number. She was right by the boys bathroom, the one infamous for smelling of piss and urinal cakes. Although, it was a small price to pay, because she later found out it was right above Octavia's. Her first period being Pre-Calc, she closed her eyes for a second and dreaded going. Eden and Octavia soon joined them, Eden being in the same art as Lexa first period and Octavia in Global History.

"At least we all have the same lunch?" Octavia smiled, when she realized they all had to split up. Some of them had the same classes later on, but they still didn't want to split to their firsts. "Meet before lunch!"

Lexa walked off, heading to the art wing on the third floor. The stairs were ruthless, and she inevitably tripped, scraping her knee on the stair. It began bleeding, and she huffed as she walked down to the nurse. She walked in to be met by Octavia's mother, Aurora. "Hey honey, are you okay?" she asked. Her eyes traveled to the girls knee, and she made her sit on the long chair with her leg up. "Gosh, you are just the clumsiest, aren't you?"

Lexa made a face as the woman pressed an alcohol pad into the cut. She looked over as the door opened and the dean walked in, a blonde girl trailing behind him. "Hello, Lexa, Ms. Blake," he greeted. 

"Hey, Jaha," Aurora smiled. She finished bandaging Lexa and allowed her to stand. 

"Uh, this is Clarke, would you mind showing her around the school today? The system says you two have the exact same schedule, and I have a meeting to get to." Jaha asked. 

Lexa's eyes fell over her. She seemed like a bitch, in pale jeans and a generic bomber jacket. She wore the same superstars every girl did, and the latest generation iPhone sat in her hand, covered in a protective case. Her blonde hair meshed against her tan skin in a way Lexa didn't know how to describe. She nodded and smiled at her, grabbing her backpack and walking to the door. "Here's a pass, hon. Get better! Make plans soon!"

"Bye, Miss Aurora!" Lexa waved and closed the door, leading the way to the art classroom. She swiped the key card for the elevator that Aurora had given her, not trusting the stairs. The doors dinged open, and in walked both of them. "Seems like you're stuck with me for today."

Clarke smiled and looked down to her boots. She was really shy, especially in situations like this. A new school was hard for everyone, but especially for her. It took her 16 years to become comfortable with her friends in San Francisco. "The people here are super nice, by the way. If you want you can come with me and my friends at lunch so you're not alone?" Lexa asked, looking over to her. Clarke raised her head and nodded. "Not much of a talker?" She shook her head as the doors opened. 

They walked in near silence to the art room, a large space filled with murals and posters, easels, and work tables. She walked over to Ms. Vie, in front of all the kids. "She's new, but she's... uh... really shy. Name's Clarke... Griffin? Yeah." Lexa said as she handed her the pass. 

"And you must be Lexa Woods?" 

"Yes."

"I've heard plenty about you, dear. You two can take a seat anywhere you'd like." Lexa walked over to the table where Eden sat, joined by their friend Wells. "As I was saying, today is for you to show me who you are. Let me get a feel of your art style. You're all here because of your individuality, and I want and need that to come through. Supplies are in the cabinets, and feel free to listen to music or chat as you work!"

Lexa crossed her legs and turned to her friends as Clarke stood up to walk around. "Please be nice," she warned Eden. 

"When have I ever been mean?" she asked sweetly. "She seems... shy."

Lexa nodded as she dug through her bag for her sketchbook. Finally grabbing it, she opened to a fresh page and began to sketch. Clarke, however, brought back a piece of masonite board, about as big as the surface of a desk. A palette is in her hands as she fished brushes and five large tubes of paint out of her bag: red, yellow, blue, white and black. Lexa watches her, meanwhile Eden and Wells get their own supplies to start. 

Clarke can feel eyes on her, and looks up to meet Lexa, blushing slightly. "Am I taking up too much space?"

"What? Oh, no, sorry. I zoned out," Lexa answered, blushing as well. 

She hummed as her pencil scraped against the masonite, drawing the faint shape of a head. Halfway through she paused, grabbing her headphones and phone and turning music on. Only tucking one ear bud in, she tapped her foot to the beat of _Panic! at the Disco_ , the soft sounds of _Pretty. Odd._  urging her to paint more efficiently. Her manicured hand grabbed a palette knife from beside her and began to mix a skin tone out of acrylic. 

To Lexa, her art wasn't about precision. She liked the messy side to art, and that was her style. An image was in her head, and she began to sketch out a person that resembled Nisrina Sbia. The process of making things was exhausting, yet it was what she loved. Ms. Vie began walking around the classroom, talking to her students. Soon, she walked over to their and stood next to her, finger pressed against her cheek, watching them work. 

"Have any of you began thinking about college?" She asked, looking at the students, who all nodded. 

"I already have a scholarship to Syracuse, full ride," Wells beamed. Ms. Vie nodded with a smile. He was a senior which a large Instagram account, where he featured his sculptures and murals. Syracuse saw, and offered him the scholarship over the summer as long as he met the requirements in application. 

"My first choice is RISD," Eden said. "I'm making my portfolio this year and if it gets a 5 it'll be the one I submit in my application. She nodded. 

Lexa stopped drawing to talk, "I think NYU, if they accept me. Or I become a florist."

Clarke didn't realize the conversation, or she didn't want to talk, so she continued mixing and testing. "What about you, Clarke?" Ms. Vie asked. 

"I don't think I'm going to college for art..." she trailed off. 

"Why not?"

"My parents want me to go to John Hopkins and become a cardiothoracic surgeon," she explains, biting her lip. 

"Do you want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon?" Ms. Vie asked. Clarke shrugged. 

"It doesn't matter to me."

"It's your life, Clarke. You're the only person who should make major decisions about it. I think you should spend some time and think about it, before it's too late, dear."

 

 


	2. behind the sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cute, fun!

That evening, Clarke collapsed on the couch with a sense of exhaustion flooding her body. She had many new contacts in her phone, all of Lexa's friends and Lexa herself insisted. Her nerves were calmed, but only slightly. She still missed her friends back home, yet that didn't matter now. This was another chance, and she could start over. Nobody had any dirt on her, not that there was any in the first place. 

Abby and Jake were both at work still, working late nights as a Trauma surgeon and Cardio surgeon, they never seemed to get a break. Abby left money on the counter for dinner, and she decided to order in Thai, yet she never ate it, and find a movie on Netflix to watch. She liked her new house, the living room was huge, and her bedroom was quite large too. Her parents having good paying jobs was a blessing more than a curse. 

Clarke was allowed to decorate most of the house, including her room and the living room. Abby described it was _"since you're going to be here more than us, you might as well like it_." She was thankful, nonetheless. 

As she layed on the couch, sunken into the cushions and buried in blankets, all she could think of was school. Her classes were alright, the people were nice, but she was scared. Of something new, of change. She didn't want new friends, or new teachers. Sometimes she wishes she was older so that she could do things she liked, and not being stuck in her own body.

Placing the control on the coffee table, she stood up, and texted her father, letting her know she was coming to visit with dinner. He hated hospital food, so she always brought him leftovers, which today was Gaeng Gai, ordered specifically for him. As she got in the car, she plugged in her phone and played music. The hospital was close, only about ten minutes away, so it didn't take long for her to get to the parking garage. 

For some reason she had always liked hospitals, it was odd. Maybe it was the smell, or the lights, or the elevators. Or maybe it was walking past the babies and looking at them through the window, or the one nurse that smiled at her when she walked past. Sweeping her hair to the side, she looked out the window of the tube that connected the Hospital to the parking garage. A crying woman sat on one of the ottomans, and Clarke hurried past, not wanting to disturb her. 

Since they had been living in DC for two months, Clarke got used to the hospital, and she knew her way around.  The Cardio wing was on the third floor, west wing, and the trauma center was on the second floor, north wing. Taking the elevator, she pressed the number _two_ , and started on her way to her fathers work. 

"Clarke?" a voice asked from the corner of the elevator. The blonde turned around, seeing Lexa, and smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"My parents work here," she said as Lexa walked to stand by her. "What about you?"

"Same, my mom's a receptionist in Trauma," Lexa nodded. The elevator doors opened, and they both walked out, going down the same hall. 

"That's where my dad works." They both looked at each other and nodded, and then down to the food in each others hands. Soon, they were at the receptionist desk, and Lexa greeted her mother with a hug. 

"Oh, hello, Clarke," Indra smiled at the blonde, and routinely paged Jake Griffin. Lexa raised a brow when she realized they were on a first name basis. Her mother accepted the food in her hands, thanking her daughter as Jake came up to greet Clarke. 

"Thank you so much sweetheart," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. His dirty blonde hair was a mess, and he smelled of cologne muddled with coffee. Clarke smiled at him as he accepted the food in his hands. "Is this Thai? The place from down the street?"

"Yes," Clarke hummed. "Gaeng Gai, untouched."

"Oh, you are a godsend, have you eaten?" He asked. One of the things Clarke loved about him was that he always put her best interest in mind, over his. 

"A little bit. Don't worry, though, I'm out to grab something right now," she rushed. Her fingers tapped against her thigh, a habit. Jake nodded, and grabbed his wallet from under the desk. "Dad, no. Mom have me money, left it on the counter."

"Well, okay. I love you, hon, I'm gonna go eat this and get back to work. Text before bed!" He exclaimed, waving behind him as he ran off to the staff room. Indra and Lexa were finishing up their conversation as Clarke walked away, and Lexa raced behind her to catch up. 

"Have you had dinner yet?" Lexa hummed, looking over to the blonde with anticipation. Clarke shook her head, biting the tip of her tongue. "We were all going to have dinner at Remi's down the street, if you want. Octavia, Raven, Eden, Wells and I. And my little brother Aden. He's annoying though. You don't have to come! Just, if you want to."

Clarke smiled, and pretended to think. "Sure," she laughed, grabbing her keys out of her pocket as they neared the parking garage. "Where's your car?"

"I took a taxi," Lexa laughed. 

"I guess I'll drive you then," Clarke said. "I think you asked me to come with you just so you didn't have to pay for a cab."

"You caught me."

Remi's was a small, brightly colored restaurant that stuck out like a sore thumb. Lexa explained that it was a Filipino place, and owned by Octavia's brother. Clarke wasn't the best navigator, though, so getting there had been a struggle. It was in a part of town Clarke would have never went if not for Lexa, and part of her was glad she asked. 

Clarke knew that this was friendly, nothing else. She was the new girl, someone to be nice to for a few weeks and then to be slowly separated from until she was eating lunch with Ms. Vie in the art class room alone. It was practically inevitable in the high school politics, yet for some reason Clarke went along with it.

Yet in Lexa's mind, maybe Clarke could be a new addition to their friend group. She was funny, smart, yet shy. Sure, she was pretty, and she had nice eyes, yet Lexa wasn't the type to fall in love at first sight, and it wasn't starting now. Also, every part of her screamed that getting romantically involved would ruin her: school, art, life in general. And then what would she be? A sad person who painted their feelings after they broke up. Relationships were off limits for now, if not ever. Plus, Clarke seems straight. Like, her _gaydar_  doesn't go off around Clarke. Then again, it never did with Octavia. 

They were walking into the restaurant together, the bell chiming as the door opened. "Finally!" Raven shrieked as Lexa neared their usual table. "Oh, hello, Clarke."

Clarke sits by Lexa, because that's where the empty seat is, and Octavia. Her and Raven are holding hands under the table, for no apparent reason, since they're out as a couple. As she sits, a man comes up being Octavia and gives her a nuggie. "Bell!" she says, swatting his hands away. He smiles at her and laughs, looking to see if anyone is missing so he can put in their usual orders. 

"Who's this?" he asks, and gives Clarke a bright smile. 

"Clarke," Lexa says. Her eyes glance up to Bellamy, who is still smiling at the blonde next to her. "She'll have my usual."

"I'm Bellamy Blake," he beams, reaching to shake her hand. She reaches to shake his, and settles back into her chair. Her shy stature is gone, legs crossed along with arms. "Owner of the fine establishment. Are you single?"

Lexa opens her mouth to butt in, wanting to mention that she's underage, yet the blonde kicks her foot. "You're not my type, bud," she says, staring him down. Lexa wouldn't have expected this out of the shy blonde she had met this morning in the nurse's office. 

"Yeah? What is?" He asks, raising his brows, expecting a _blonde boys with blue eyes_ , or something completely cliche compared to himself. 

"Girls."

"Oh."

Bellamy walks away quickly, tail between legs, and slapping a white paper on the ticket stand with the order scribbled. Raven is still laughing as this happens, an occasional snort coming out. Lexa is shaking her head and smiling at her. Clarke uncrosses her legs and arms and lets out a laugh. Aden mutters something about lesbians that leaves Wells _dying_. 

The whole evening flies by in a blur: food and jokes, and too many laughs. At one point Eden laughs with a drink in her mouth, and it comes out of her nose, which leaves them in tears. 

Lexa walks with Clarke to her car, which is parked right by Harriet. "Thank you, for inviting me. This is the most fun I've had in a while," she says. Lexa nods, smiles, and gets in the car. 

Clarke falls asleep happy. 

Lexa does too. 

 

 

However, when Lexa wakes up, she has slept through her alarm, and it's ten minutes before she has to leave. Every part of her wants to say fuck it, and stay home, yet she still throws on clothes and hurries into Octavia's car. Today, she is stuck on the hump, due to being late, and she wan't to die, whole-heartedly. 

 Clarke parks her car and locks it, dragging herself into the building and to the art room. She gets there early so she can slump against the table and sleep for four minutes before people pile in. Her head hurts. She's exhausted. 

The school year has officially began. 

In the end, Lexa, Eden and Wells all sit around her and continue on the art they started last class. Clarke wants to also die, and barely gets anything done in the amount of time they're in the class for. The speech that Ms. Vie gave her hangs in the back of her mind as she paints, and how much she wants to make her mom happy. It has always felt as if Abby wasn't half as proud of her as Jake was, and sometimes if feels as if Jake was the one truly ready for a child. Abby wasn't ready to give her career up. Being a surgeon was more important that anything, even her family, in the end. 

Clarke ends up finishing her painting, an acrylic of herself laying in flowers. She always goes back to painting herself, because it seems to be the face she knows best. There's no detail left un noticed when she paints herself, and she doesn't need a reference. Lexa finishes her watercolor of the model she was inking yesterday, and hands it in to Ms. Vie, who smiles. "This is amazing, Lexa. Very unique."

Clarke walks with Eden to gym, who rambles on about an unknown topic all the way there. As they sit on the bleachers, listening to the syllabus, Eden climbs behind her and starts to pull her hair into two neat french braids. Clarke is too tired to reply. 

By lunch she conquers that the day is awful. Nothing can change it. Probably. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahhahaha this is so short but i wanted to get something out as a filler but showed them getting to know each other so i could jump into the juice!

**Author's Note:**

> I imagine Clarke's art to be a bit like Conan Gray and Lexa's to be like @vil.de's on Instagram, if that gives a better visual. Also, Wells to resemble Daniel Arsham and Eden's to be like @obia_thethird on Instagram. The chapter's named after the song Seigfried by Frank Ocean, which plays in the car as they're heading to school. I'm so excited for this and to explore this style of writing i guess. I've written on here before and the feedback was amazing, but I hated the story and fell into a hole and orphaned it a while ago. Hopefully that doesn't happen with this!
> 
> -kait :)


End file.
